The Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make with Mo Bamba, betting on his potential or clearing cap space to pursue a more sure thing.Mo Bamba was recently seen working out at the Lakers training facility, ahead of the June 29 deadline for them to decide whether to guarantee his contract ...

Beating Jude Bellingham at FIFA and two hours of German lessons a day have helped Jamie Bynoe-Gittens settle in at Borussia Dortmund. The unassuming 19-year-old sits in St George’s Park explaining how his life in the German city has helped him grow. The last of Dortmund’s English trio, the former Chelsea youngster has developed while Bellingham and Jadon Sancho shone to earn their mega-money moves. Bynoe-Gittens made his debut less than 18 months ago but has settled well. His lessons, having joined from Manchester City in 2020, have left him “near fluent” as he matures away from the Premier League spotlight. “Not everybody spoke English when I arrived. That was very hard for me because, at the time, I only spoke English. I had to learn German quickly,” he says. “I remember looking for something like shampoo in the supermarket and you’ve got to find where it is and you might need to ask someone. It’s hard, you know. “The word is the same, so maybe that’s an easy one to find! But maybe if you were going to the shops or getting the bus to town and having to find the right way to go… “At school I tried to speak French and that didn’t really work. German is difficult – it’s really hard to learn and it takes time. But when you live here, you pick it up. “I was a very shy person back then, so I had to learn to speak more and to ask for things that I might not ordinarily have asked for. “The first year was tough, because Covid meant that there were no games. Then when we came back in 2021 I was injured for four months. “After Christmas, I started playing more games and then that’s when I broke into the senior team. “Seeing other players before me doing it persuaded me I could try it as well and try to progress like Jude has done right now or Jadon did.” Now he is the only Englishman left at Dortmund after Bellingham’s initial £88.5million move to Real Madrid this summer. Thankfully the new England Under-21 international can ask for a little more than shampoo – along with a cheeky offer of giving lessons to Bayern Munich new boy Harry Kane while at St George’s Park – although he misses his friends. “Jude would take me out into Dortmund sometimes. Or when Jadon was there, we would go to get a haircut together or something or go to his house for three or four hours, maybe play FIFA,” said the Under-19 European champion, who remains close with team-mate Gio Reyna. “They took me in as their little brother…I’d beat Jude at FIFA all the time. “It’s great to see him do it. I knew he was going to be like this. It wasn’t a surprise to me. How he prepares for games, how he prepares for training. He’s just so professional. He’s a great person too.” In May, on his final appearance, Bellingham sat devasted on the Signal Iduna Park pitch after a 2-2 draw with Mainz on the final day of last season handed Bayern the title. Going into the game top, Dortmund were expected to end their 11-year Bundesliga drought, capping Bellingham’s three starring years in Germany. Yet, it was to end in heartbreak as injured Bynoe-Gittens watched from the sidelines as the title slipped away. “It was very hard,” he said, having made 20 appearances, scoring three times. “I couldn’t play in the last two games because of injury and watching it was just really sad, we had worked so hard to get there. “There are are almost no words to describe it. We had no emotion, just numb. “We’re always focused on winning or pushing for the title, like last season. We have to start quick, now, and hopefully be clear. “We want to win the Bundesliga. Dortmund is a big club. You can’t just go for second, third or fourth. We want to push for first, the DFB Cup too and then go far in the Champions League.” Dortmund, the 1997 winners, have not got past the quarter-finals since losing the final to Bayern in 2013 but European success is always an objective. Edin Terzic’s side open their Champions League campaign at PSG on Tuesday and also face AC Milan and Newcastle, travelling to St James’ Park in December. The luck of the draw allows Bynoe-Gittens, who came through at Reading before moving to Chelsea and then Manchester, to return to England outside international duty. Quiet but confident, he is ready to show what he has learnt. “It was always my dream to play in the Champions League as a kid, watching it on TV. Playing in it was a big achievement for me,” he said. “It gives me added fuel to play in England and to show everybody what I can do.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola promises major changes for Man City team amid gruelling schedule Son Heung-min hopes Tottenham’s family feeling can galvanise Richarlison Louis Rees-Zammit explains Cristiano Ronaldo celebration at Rugby World Cup

A private school in Australia is reportedly supporting a young "non-verbal" student identifying as a cat. The behaviour is often linked to a "furries" subculture being adopted by many teens, where many furries feel a deep connection to a particular animal that they take on their "fursona", according to Gerbasi et al. A source close to the family said: "No one seems to have a protocol for students identifying as animals, but the approach has been that if it doesn’t disrupt the school, everyone is being supportive," "The behaviour is being normalised. Now more and more people are identifying as whatever they want to identify with, including 'furries'." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The Melbourne school's approach to mental health "is always unique to the student and will take into account professional advice and the wellbeing of the student". Many Gen-Zers have taken on the subculture with an interest in anthropomorphised animals. On TikTok alone, the hashtag brings people eccentric costumes called "fursuits." Some wear head-to-toe outfits, while others wear the mask. Sharon Roberts, associate professor of social development studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, told ABC the subculture is becoming increasingly popular because of its safe and non-judgemental community. "They're usually imbued with positive attributes, and they're often idealised versions of the self," she said. "What the research has shown is that these self-created identities have incredible benefits to the person in all kinds of ways." She said, "about 20 to 25 per cent of furries have fur suits." "They might have ears or tails or wear a dog collar, but a lot of furries don't wear anything like that at all," she added. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Women’s Super League and Championship are preparing to break free from the Football Association after the top two tiers unanimously agreed to be governed by a new, independent body from next season. Former Nike and Citigroup executive Nikki Doucet has been appointed to lead the organisation, NewCo, effective immediately, and will oversee plans for all 24 clubs to move into the new governance structure ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Each club who participates in the WSL and Championship will act as shareholders under the NewCo model, which has long been in the works and is seen as an important step in growing what an independent review concluded this summer has potential to become a billion-pound domestic women’s football industry within 10 years. Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, said: “The women’s professional game is in the strongest place that it has ever been thanks to the hard work of everybody involved in its development so far, but we firmly believe that the NewCo will take it to another level entirely. “Each of our 24 clubs and the league itself wants the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship to be setting the standards for women’s football around the world, and this venture into a new governing body is the next step in us achieving that ambition. “This is a historical moment for the women’s professional game in this country, and it is a move that will see our clubs and players make even bigger strides both on and off the pitch.” Former England international Karen Carney led the independent review into the women’s game, commissioned by the government in 2022, concluding in July that “women’s football is a start-up business.” “If you’re starting something you have to have an influx of money. In 10 years’ time I really do believe this sport could be a billion-pound industry,” she said. This is a historical moment for the women’s professional game in this country, and it is a move that will see our clubs and players make even bigger strides both on and off the pitch Baroness Sue Campbell NewCo, a restructure of power similar to the Premier League’s 20-club governance model, is viewed by many as a critical next phase in the commercial growth of the English women’s game. A working group chaired by Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham, with Doucet serving as an independent consultant, led on developing the proposal for NewCo and involved 10 representatives from WSL and Championship clubs including Crystal Palace chair Steve Parish and Patrick Stewart, who earlier this month was appointed interim chief at Manchester United. Venkatesham added: “This is a pivotal moment in the history of the women’s professional game, as we look to work together to build the most distinctive, competitive and entertaining women’s football club competition in the world. “Setting up NewCo provides the opportunity to accelerate the sustainable growth of the women’s game and will not only support the development of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship, but the entirety of the women’s football pyramid. “It has been a constructive and collective effort to get to this stage, and Nikki’s appointment encapsulates the ambition we have for NewCo. With her vision for women’s football, the future is incredibly bright.” Asked for her thoughts on the news, England forward Beth Mead told a press conference: “We want the game to move to a new level and keep pushing it forward and I think although the FA has done an amazing job over so many years, it was time to let go of those stabilisers and let somebody else take over. “Hopefully in the long run that can help us push the game and the leagues to the next level and ultimately that’s what we want to keep doing. I think the sky’s the limit and we have to keep pushing it there.” Read More Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ ECB boss admits challenges remain for cricket after positive impact report England’s Zach Mercer installs oxygen chamber at home to combat ankle injury Tom Daley targets Paris 2024 in return to British Swimming’s World Class Programme Former Sheffield United and Everton defender Phil Jagielka announces retirement Bruno Fernandes excited for ‘amazing’ atmosphere at Galatasaray

Predictions for the Matchday 3 fixtures in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage. Man Utd take on Kobenhavn, Bayern look to extend their unbeaten group stage run to 36 games and Real Madrid tackle Braga for the first time ever.

(Reuters) -Shares of Manchester United fell about 10% on Monday after reports that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is looking to

'Clockwork Revolution' director Chad Moore has insisted the game is the "love child" of 'Arcanum: Of Steamworks' and 'Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines'.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Amsterdam on Sunday calling for more action to tackle climate change, in a mass protest just 10 days before a national election. Organizers claimed that 70,000 people took part in the march and called it the biggest climate protest ever in the Netherlands. Activist Greta Thunberg was among those walking through the historic heart of the Dutch capital. She and former European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans, who now leads a center-left, two-party bloc in the election campaign, were among speakers due to address a crowd that gathered on a square behind the landmark Rijksmuseum. "We live in a time of crises, all of which are the result of the political choices that have been made. It has to be done and it can be done differently,” organizer the Climate Crisis Coalition said in a statement. While the coalition included the Fridays for Future youth movement, protesters were all ages and included a large contingent of medics in white coats carrying a banner emblazoned with the text: “Climate crisis = health crisis.” “I am a pediatrician. I’m here standing up for the rights of children," said Laura Sonneveld. “Children are the first to be affected by climate change.” Tackling climate change is one of the key policy areas for political parties contesting the Nov. 22 general election. “It is time for us to protest about government decisions," said Margje Weijs, a Spanish teacher and youth coach. “I hope this influences the election." ___ Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment Read More Russia ramps up attacks on key cities in eastern Ukraine Macron urges France to rise up against 'unbearable resurgence of antisemitism' before Paris march Dubai air chiefs summit, sponsored by Israeli firm, avoids discussing strikes as Hamas war rages

Gotham Knights will not be available for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles.

Meanwhile, Jake Paul is set to go eight rounds in a fight against Andre August on December 15 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando

Will Saquon Barkley be able to play in the upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers? Get the latest update on his ankle injury.

Diontae Johnson and the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be barreling toward a split.